The Princess and the Pauper
by JupiterRain44
Summary: Long ago in a far off town, lived one girl in rags and one in a gown. Though they were different, their faces you see, were smiliar..no, identical to a T! Despite their different lives, theyd meet one warm spring day, for fate would have it no other way.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Inuyasha. Updated- 9/16/07 character changes.

Here's a fun twist on one of my child hood favorites, hope you liked the summary My own little poetic gift to you.

I'm having a little writers block with my last story so i thought this would be a fun new story, to get away from that other one for a teensy bit.

please review so i can write another chapter!

The Princess and The Pauper

Long ago in a far off town, lived one girl in rags and one in a gown. Though they were different, their faces you see, were smiliar..no, identical to a T! Despite their different lives theyd meet one warm spring day, for fate would have it no other way.

0P0

"Ouch!" Sango brought her finger to her lips and cringed. This was the third time today she'd stabbed herself with her sewing needle. Looking for a piece of cloth to wrap around

her finger, she found nothing. Her shirt was too covered in soot to cause anything but infection, and her hair kerchief wasn't much better. She sighed and began wrapping it with a

snip of fabric and some masking tape. Currently she was finishing the embroidery on a satin wedding gown. The woman had specifically asked for a lace netting trim, an extremely

difficult task due to its inability to properly hold a stitch. She'd found that if she manually double stitched the netting to the milky fabric, it tended to hold better. Difficult work, but

Madam Chapeau threatened to cut her food rations in half if she didn't approach the dress as an artist would a masterpiece. Apparently the bride was an extremely wealthy woman

from high ranking parents, and word around the shop was that she even resided in the palace with her family. Her mother had requested this dress as a suprise early wedding gift,

insisting its completion be the top priority in the shop.

Sango rested the silky fabric on her work table, and lowered her forehead against the cool metal of her sewing machine. She let her arms dangle at her sides, feeling the tension in

her hands slowly dribble away. She had only been allowed 3 hours of sleep for the past 2 nights and her head was pounding. Her arms felt like they were full of sand, and all of her

joints and muscles were crying out in boredom. She was sure if she were to stand up her butt would have gone flat by now, sitting on her work bench for 9 hours straight.

Her stomach growled and she reached her hand to it. She had been allowed a half a loaf of bread and 2 slices of cheese that morning, and small plate of carrot sticks that afternoon.

But it had been hours since then, and she was allowed only 1 "meal" every 5 hours until this damn dress was finished. She felt her body sink deeper into an exhausted lull, she felt

sick and dirty, wishing she could go enjoy a hot bath instead of the ice cold showers provided to the workers. She scoffed at the unrealistic ideas her brain came up with sometimes,

she was indebted to Madam Chapeau and that was all there was to it.

She had been born into an extremely poor family, her mother and father were elated to have a child to love and raise, but in the recesses of their minds they knew they could never

give her all that she deserved. So one day her mother, who was known in the village to be a wonderful seamstress, approached Madam Chapeau.

"My lady, this is terribly difficult for me to ask, however…I'm in need of money and all though it hurts my pride to grovel, I do beg of you…for a job at your shop'

Madam Chapeau was a wicked woman, but a wonderfully brilliant business owner. She realized the profit she could make from hiring this woman. Although the advancement the

woman was asking seemed awfully steep, she looked rather young and could therefore work for years to come to pay off her debt; Supplying Madam Chapeau with gorgeous

tailored suits and gowns that in the long run would attract many wealthy costumers. Madam Chapeau could then double the price of the gown, while still allowing this woman to

believe it was being sold at the same price as the other less fabulous dresses, and gain double the amount she lost! She cackled wickedly, looked down her crooked nose at the

petite brunette's pleading eyes, and nodded.

Sango's young mother ran home to her waiting husband with the good news, they would be able to properly feed and clothe their new baby girl. Perhaps even send her to school

when she was the right age.

All went wonderfully for the loving little family, up until Sango reached age 12. A day that seemed like any other, it wasn't an ominous day at all, no lightning storms or bleak grey

skies. Kids played in the streets, birds chirped, the sun shone down cheerfully. Perhaps that's what made the day so tragic, how unexpected the deaths of Sango's parents were.

How could the sun shine so happily, how could the children play so joyously, as a young girl was left alone forever in such a lonely world.

Sango's parents had been returning home after a secret shopping trip to the market. It was Sango's twelfth birthday and they'd saved up some extra money to buy her a beautiful

pendant she'd been absolutely fawning over. On the way home, a group of bandits had attacked them and demanded they hand over their gold and purchases. When the bandits

realized they had went to the trouble for a lousy locket and some bronze coins, they became enraged and murdered her parents.

For a month or so, people in the village would come by Sango's house offering her gifts and baked goods, smiling in pity. She couldn't stand it, she couldn't stand the guilt she felt.

Blaming her own materialism for her parents death, she made a promise to herself never to get caught up in money or the value of items again. She cried a lot that week, then, she

didn't cry at all. She sold her house for a small amount of money and marched to the dress shop where her mother owed money. She handed Madam Chapeau her miniscule fortune

and sold herself over as a replacement. Madam Chapeau provided food rations, a mat to sleep on, and 2 sets of working clothes. Sango learned to take care of herself and

continued her mothers job as the local seamstress, determined to pay off her parents debt and begin a new life once she was allowed freedom.

7 years later, freedom seemed more of a fable than a reality.

Sango was abruptly brought out of her light doze by a rap on her head. She jumped up clamping her hands to her skull as it pulsed in pain. Looking up she saw her employer staring

at her with a look of contempt.

"Sleeping on the job again my little worker ant?" She laughed mercilessly at her creative pet name.

"Eating pastries in your room and adding to your already alarmingly massive bulk again M'lady? " She mumbled into her hand as she stifled a yawn.

"What was that?" Her boss demanded.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. It wont happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't…" Madam Chapeau stared at her, lightly tapping her fan to the palm of her hand.

"You know Sango, you should learn to control that bite of yours, learn to act like the poor worker girl you are. It's laughable the pride you've retained, pride in what I don't know.

You would think you were batty, acting like a princess. Princess of the rats, that's all you are." the Madam laughed meanly and turned to leave.

Sango stuck out her tongue at the woman's massive backside and turned to continue her work. Sighing heavily, she picked up the measuring tape and began cutting small strips of

light pink ribbon, her persistent stomaching growling angrily for the millionth time that day.

$P$

"And one and two and three and four and one and two and three and four. ONCE MORE and one and two…"

Kagome rolled her eyes as she crossed the hardwood flooring in the great hall once more, she'd done this so many times over the past 19 years it was second nature. She came to

the wall on the opposite side, turned, curtseyed, and lifted the thick book from the top of her head.

"Miroku, I honestly do have the flattest head in the whole kingdom, not to mention the straightest posture. There's no need to worry!" Kagome insisted to her etiquette teacher,

"Really, I'm ready for the banquette, I'm ready to meet the Earl, and I'm ready to dance at the ball! I know every last thing I can possibly cram into my brain! Now can't I have a

break from all of this? I've been at it for hours!"

The raven haired man sighed, he'd grown up in the castle, his father had taught etiquette to the queen when she was merely a princess, and now he had taken over teaching his

childhood friend Kagome the same. Miroku spent most of his time teaching Kagome and other important female figures in the castle the mannerisms of a proper royal lady.

However, in his free time he enjoyed sitting in one of the large leather chairs by the fireplace in the castle library. Today was a particularly monotonous one, he'd spent the past 2

hours reteaching Kagome things she was allready well aware of, but the queen had insisted extra lessons were in order. Apparently this ball was much more important than previous

ones. He knew he should finish the last half hour of their lesson, but he himself was merely 22 years old and would have rather been in the library reading his favorite books. He

sighed, smiling he bent at the waist

"I suppose just this once we can end our lesson early, it is rather nice out. Today is your lucky day, Oh Princess Flathead"

Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled, giving her childhood friend a small hug she rushed out of the hall in a blur.

Kagome ran as fast as she could to her closet, pulling open the doors she revealed her large collection of clothes. Pink gowns, blue gowns, skirts, blouses, silk scarves, cotton

gloves, stockings, heels, boots, sandals, even 10 extraordinary hats propped on top of mannequin heads. She shuffled through all of her belongings, pulling out a knee length white

cotton skirt with pink petals adorning the bottom trim, and a button up pink blouse. She pulled off her heels and yellow "relax-time" dress, and pulled on her new outfit. She slipped

into her kitten heeled sandals and pulled her curly raven hair back with a pink ribbon.

She went to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Sighing she proceeded to change her outfit 3 times, settling on instead a yellow and blue skirt with a white cardigan twin set. She

spritzed a bit of rose water onto her neck and ran out the door giddily.

Halfway to the stables she stopped running so she could properly breath, and regain her demure mannerisms. She breathed deeply in and out once or twice before entering the large

stable doors. She was in love with this smell, yes it smelled of must and hay, but it also smelled of Inuyasha. She stood under the skylight in the center and began petting the snout of

one of the many horses in the stables. This one was a dapple grey and lazily closed its eyes against her touch.

"You're awfully handsome aren't you, Philippe…for a horse that is" Kagome mused

"Why thank you princess, you're awfully pretty yourself, for a horse that is" Answered the animal in a mocking tone.

Kagome jumped back, she had definitely heard the horse speak to her…and not just speak to her…mock her! She looked around the barn instinctively, for someone else to share

in her confusion. No one was there, not even Inuyasha the stable hand.

"You…you can speak?" Kagome whispered cautiously at the animal.

"Of course I can speak, now open up this gate so I can go out into the field, my legs are bored." The horse answered.

Kagome looked at it in awe, and slowly raised her hand over the wooden fencing, reaching for the lock. She was nervous and confused but her love of adventure got the best of her

and her hand shakily reached for the metal lock. Suddenly she felt something grip her ankle and she screeched in terror. Jumping back 4 feet she fell into a big pile of hay.

Laughing Inuyasha rose up from behind the wooden door.

"You are such a dunce! _you can talk?" _he mimicked, "Priceless!"

Kagome realized what had happened and jumped up in a rage, her face flaming.

"Inuyasha! You jerk! This is the last time I ever come visit you. I swear, what are you five!?"

Inuyasha laughed with mirth and clutched his stomach. Kagome lifted herself up and shook the hay from her hair, she then turned and began marching out of the barn. Four seconds

later she felt a strong hand encompass the upper part of her arm and pull her back against a firm chest. Arms encircled her tiny waist and she felt the tickling of Inuyasha's voice on

the crook of her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but you look awfully cute when you're embarrassed, Princess"

Kagome shivered at his words and melted into his warm embrace,

"It's….well it's ok…then…I suppose…" She fumbled out her words.

Inuyasha breathed in against her neck and sighed,

"God, your smell drives me crazy…" Kagome felt her temperature rise with her sudden reaction to his voice.

"In fact…It's like a drug…I can't get enough…I…." and he began to breath deeply against her neck and pull her closer to him, Kagome began giggling uncontrollably and squirmed against his arms.

"Where are you going Princess? I'm not done with you" And he began to tickle her sides while still sniffing all over her hair like a dog, Kagome laughed like a little kid and toppled

to the ground, Inuyasha was close behind, making puppy noises all the way and sniffing her face. Eventually, out of breath, they laid down next to each other staring up at the sky.

They picked out shapes in the clouds and laughed at all the silly things they could find.

"That one there looks like a crown, like something the queen would wear" Inuyasha said lazily, pointing up at a spikey looking cloud.

Kagome squinted at it, and looked away with dismay. She didn't like thinking about her royal duties, they caged her in and she felt she had no escape. She also knew that her future

didn't hold any spots for Inuyasha to fill. It just wasn't in the big plan that had been mapped out for her since birth. It made her sad and lonely all at once. She gripped Inuyasha's

hand and buried her face in his shoulder as he looked on confused.


	2. Chapter 2

-11I don't own Inuyasha.

Uh duhhhh

The Princess and the Pauper

Chapter 2.

0P0

Sango smiled happily at her finished product. The dress reached the floor in a princess style fashion. It shone in the light and had a beautiful pink ribbon cinch at the waist. The off-

shoulder neckline was adorned with tiny white pearls and, shockingly enough, the lace trim had held on quite nicely. All in all, it was a gorgeous dress and Sango couldn't help but

pat herself on the back for a job well done. She folded the dress delicately and placed it on top of a small sheet of silk. She wrapped it in the silk, and then wrapped it again in a thin

layer of lambs wool. Placing the wedding gown into a cardboard box, she triumphantly tied it off with a bright blue bow. She placed the box on her work table and put her hands on

her hips smiling.

"Oh Sango, how _do_ you do it!" She said to herself, reveling in a small amount of self satisfaction. That is until Madam Chapeau entered the room. She wore a horribly gaudy dress,

made in a stain-glass like fashion, with snips of different browns and greens all sewn together. But what made her dress look like that of a Goddess, was her hat. Her hat was more

of a collection of bits of leaves and fruits piled on top of her head haphazardly. Sango stifled a laugh as her boss traipsed in, proud as a peacock. What made Sango laugh extra hard

was the fact that she was the one who had made that dress. A few months ago she had convinced Madam Chapeau that this was **the** look in Paris, and although it seemed rather

unlikely, it was only because the people in their provincial town weren't the most worldly. Madam Chapeau had eaten it up, and turned a deaf ear to those who mocked it. It was

small things that this that kept Sango in good spirits.

Madam Chapeau walked towards Sango with a grimace, she pointed towards the box sitting to her left.

"That dress has better be just what the queen asked for, the royals are our main costumers you know!" She said, shrilly.

"I know, I know" Sango answered, annoyed.

"You'll be delivering it today." Madam Chapeau ordered, "Don't screw this up"

Sango's eyes widened, it was so rare that Madam Chapeau allowed her to leave the shop, and the idea of riding horseback up the beautiful hill to the castle was almost to fantastic

to swallow. However, worried that her dream might be snatched away if she acted too eager, she simply nodded.

"Right then, off you go." Madam Chapeau shuffled out of the room, fixing her hat on the way.

Sango heard a few muffled gasps and chuckles from the shop out front, no doubt one of the costumers had caught sight of her bosses beast of a dress. She smiled and walked

towards the back of the work room. Sango threw her shabby blue cape around her neck and fastened the tie, she then put the hood over her long brown hair and made her way out

to the horse stables.

$P$

Bubbles popped cheerily as Kagome sat in her bathtub. She was ordered to take a lavender sea salt bath to prepare for the ball the next day, one of her many maids sat at the

bottom of the top massaging her feet while 2 others sat on either side of her filing her nails and exfoliating her elbows. She sighed, wishing her nose would stop itching. Finally,

finished with their ministrations, the woman curtseyed and exited the room, never turning their backs to Kagome. She sunk low into the warm water for a few moments, thinking of

her dear Inuyasha and dreading the upcoming ball. The day before, Inuyasha had proposed a midnight ride to the beaches in the south followed by a picnic lunch and horseback

riding on the sand. He knew a woman who lived in one of the shore cottages and had been offered the weekend. She rose out of the water as small bits of suds slipped down her

legs, she didn't care about rinsing off though, she was restless and bored. She wanted nothing more than to some how get out of going to the ball tomorrow. Grabbing her robe she

slipped out of the bathroom and back into her quarters. She sat at her vanity and began brushing through her tangled curly hair. After she felt satisfied she walked to her closet and

put on one of her favorite dresses, it was red with white trim and fell just below her knees. She walked over to the small jewelry box in her room and flipped it open. A tiny version

of her danced merrily in the center, arms stretched to encircle the neck of a generic 'prince charming'. She wore a small white wedding dress with a veil made of actual netting. Her

mother had given her this gift when she turned 16. It began to play soft music and Kagome walked slowly to her bed, falling backwards on it she sighed. All dressed up and no

where to go. Inuyasha was most likely busy tending to the herds in the far pasture, and she didn't want to be a bother. She could assume Miroku was in one of the small nooks of

the castle, his head buried in a fantastical story book, she shook her head at his silly imagination. She knew there was no such thing as happy endings, and that the princesses in those

story books weren't really as joyful as they seemed. They all had etiquette teachers telling them "Always smile, never frown, always act as though you live the perfect life". Those

pages just never made it into the book. She tossed a pillow over her head. Tossing it back onto the top of her bed she sprung up and walked sluggishly towards the kitchen wing,

hoping that perhaps the chef wouldn't mind if she snacked on some of his desserts for the ball the following day.

0P0

Sango reached the towering front gates of the castle, and looked up expectantly at the tower guard. She had never actually been inside the walls, but today was a good day and

although she was intimidated, she would not let it get in the way of her adventure. The guard looked down at her and peered from under his hat.

"Who goes there?" he bellowed

"Delivery from Madam Chapeaus dress emporium! I have a gown especially for Princess Kagome!" Sango chipped back.

"Enter" He stated, and the gates slowly creaked open.

Inside was the most beautiful garden Sango had ever seen, lush green grasses grew everywhere. Huge dogwood trees bloomed next to the hedge. A small pond trickled in the far

left corner, and in the center of it all was a huge statue of the late King Ashitaku. Underneath it read, "An army of a thousand men is easy to come by, the difficulty lies in the finding a

general."

Sango bowed momentarily to the statue of their great leader, and lead her horse towards the entrance of the castle, and man swiftly took the reins from her hands and led her horse

towards the royal stables. She reached out to argue, and then realized his intentions. However, without her animal companion, she had to admit her intimidation at the huge white

stone castle before her.

She walked up the stairs and nodded to the two primly dressed castle guards. They saluted her and proceeded to open the huge brown doors to the castles foyer. Sango stepped

inside, mesmerized by the gorgeous ceilings and shining statues. A grand piano sat in the corner and she itched to run her hand over the shiny black top. However a light tapping

behind her caused her to turn quickly and come face to face with a rattish looking man, tapping his foot on the ground.

"Princess, if I catch you wandering the halls one more time when you should be in your chambers practicing your steps I swear I will go straight to the queen. And don't think for a

moment she'll take your word over that of her trusted advisor. Now get on with it, upstairs. You heard me girl!" He shooed her towards a set of large marble stair cases. Picking the

left side, Sango ascended the stairs in a rush of confusion, why this man was shooing her upstairs was beyond her, but a small bit of her was glad for his mistake as she could now

continue her self given tour of the castle. She clutched her small box to her chest and walked down a large hallway, leaving the angry "trusted advisor" behind her. She looked to the

end of the hallway and heard the light drifting of music coming from behind the door. Sango was drawn to the door at the end of the hall and her steps quickened as she made her

way closer. She attentively turned the bronze door knob and pushed open the door revealing a brightly lit room. The room looked like that of a female, and was decorated in lush

pinks, whites, and gold's. It was bigger than any one room Sango had ever seen, and furnished with an amazingly comfortable looking bed. A gossamer canopy fell over the bed in

swift sections creating a semi-private sleeping area. Sango stared aghast. At the far end something caught her eye and she set he box down walking towards the doors. A dark blue

sleeve stuck out of the two doors and she threw them open excitedly. Inside sat the most gorgeous dresses and other articles of clothing. Sango noted that she had quite possibly

made the majority of the dresses, and reached for the silk blue one she had seen before. She looked around greedily, and took it from its hanger gingerly. She peeked back into the

hallway, and satisfied no one was around, began to sink deeper into her adventure. After slipping on the dress, she pulled her hair out from inside the collar and let it fall in a silky

waterfall, touching the small of her back. She walked over the vanity and admired her look. The dress hugged her waist nicely, and the light blue petals looked wonderful against the

navy background. She once again complimented herself on a job well done. Reaching over to a box on the dresser she found a powder duster and a small satchel of lip stain. She

decided since she'd already indulged in such a crime as trying on the dresses of what she assumed belonged to the princess, and since it seemed no one would be returning to this

wing any time soon since she was supposed to be 'practicing her steps', Sango puffed some powder over her face and glided a slick of red gloss over her soft pink lips.

She spun around and giggled as the dress flew up and then settled down again, she walked to the middle of the floor and took note of the lovely chiming music coming from a small

box in the corner. She walked over to one of the mannequins sitting in the corner of the room. It was bare, and seemed to be waiting to be dressed. Sango decided this must be the

lucky one that would be wearing the gorgeous wedding dress she was delivering. She approached the model and curtseyed fancily.

"A handsome prince like you looks as though he should be dancing, don't you agree?" She stated playfully.

"Well my good sir! I'm flattered you would refer to me as a 'gem' but really I just threw this on." She motioned to her dress in pseudo shock.

She then began humming along with the song, holding her hands up as though she were dancing with an imaginary prince charming. She danced in large circles, reveling in the swish

of the dress against her knees. It of course came as a huge shock when in place of her imaginary dance partner, stood a handsome man with the most gorgeous blue eyes Sango had

ever seen.

"You know, I've never heard of a burglar being quite so radiant" He smirked as her twirled her around the room. Sango's feet stumbled in shock, but she quickly regained her composure, not wanting to be reported.

"Well uh…see I was making a delivery and I heard the music and the dress was right there and an ugly man downstairs ordered me to practice my steps and no one was in here and

I was so tempted, I mean I'm sure you can understand how tempting it would be to try on such a gorgeous gown" She said hurriedly, taking a huge breath at the end. Miroku merely

smiled, distracted by the beautiful creature in front of him. He had been walking down the hall when he heard the music and saw the door opened with the lights on. He was sure he

had just passed by the princess, stuffing her face in the kitchen and chatting happily to the cook. He decided to investigate and was shocked to find that not only was it occupied, but

by a lovely woman dancing alone around the room.

With one last twirl, Miroku dipped the woman in his arms backwards until their faces were mere inches from one another, he could see gold speckles in her big brown eyes and felt

her feather soft hair on his hands. It took all his will power not to kiss her right then and there. Instead he let her up onto her feet and stepped back, bowing regally. Sango clumsily

curtseyed back, her face flushed with excitement and embarrassment.

"Well, I'd really better be going, I'm so sorry about all of this, I honestly wasn't thinking properly-"

Sango was left speechless at the sight that lay before her. In the doorway across the room stood a girl who, besides the curly locks that sat on top of her head, was a spitting image

of Sango. They could have easily been sisters! Possibly even twins if one weren't to know them well.

0$P$0

"Princess Kagome! I can explain!" Exclaimed Sango, jumping away from Miroku by a good 7 feet.

Kagome's eyes fell to her own dress on this woman in front of her, and then to Miroku who looked from one to the other. An air of perplexities and confusion befell the bedroom.

_Me and my stupid fantasies, if I never have another adventure in my life it'll be too soon._ Thought Sango.

------------------------------

I always like to write a little something to the first few reviewers on every chapter, or the ones that stand out to me. And since these were my first reviews on the first chapter EVER, they made me super happy!

Edge-Keen Blade  
ForgottenKaze

Thanks Guys, here's the update  
JasperFox

Thanks for a well written critique, nice of you to go out of your way to really give your opinion!


	3. Chapter 3

Sango sputtered and looked wildly from the princess to the strange boy. Then from the window to the door, plotting an escape route. Miroku stared at the princess, shrugging at her questioning looks.

"I'm so sorry your majesty, I was just dropping off a package...I..." Sango took a deep breath and rushed towards the door, "I'm so sorry!" She gasped as she rounded the corner and barreled down the staircase she'd come up. Past the gaping old man, and out the huge doors. It wasnt until she was outside the castle grounds trying to catch her breath that she realized she was still wearing the deep blue gown.

"Oh dear lord..." She breathed, pulling at the fabric.

--

"Miroku...Who was that girl?" Kagome asked, bewildered.

"I havnt the faintest idea, Princess...but she was lovely, was she not?" Miroku commented, still looking in the direction of the woman exit. Kagome raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow teasingly,

"You say that about every attractive girl who walks through this castle, Miroku!"

Miroku chuckled and flipped his hand nonchalantly.

"But did you notice? the resemblance i mean?" Kagome asked, looking back towards her tutor. Miroku frowned slightly, "Now that you mention it, there was an uncanny similarity between the both of you, to be perfectly honest I almost believed it to be you dancing around the room, had I not passed you just moments before in the kitchens. Which reminds me!" Miroku's attention now fully rested on Kagome, whose attention now full rested on anything but Miroku.

"No after dinner snacks, Mother's orders! Her words exactly, 'Miroku if I see one extra pound on my daughter before the wedding, if her dress fits her at all incorrectly...just keep in mind the importance of this union!" Miroku mimicked Queen Renge in an over the top nasally impression.

Kagome giggled behind her hand, "I know, I know...I'm sorry it wont happen again, okay?" Miroku smiled, walking towards the door and patting her on the head, "Rule #1: A princess' loyalty, liberty, and life belong-"

"gaurding unflinchingly the well being of her people" Kagome finished, her voice empty of emotion. Miroku frowned as well, slipping a crooked finger under Kagomes chin, he lifted it up to look into her eyes. Thankfully, there were no tears there. Miroku smiled comfortingly, and Kagome matched it with a ghost of her own, then watched as Miroku exited her room. Sighing she let her arms fall to her sides. Here she was, the girl who had everything, whose life the one little girls in the streets spent their daydreams taking her place in. Princess Kagome, the raven haired beauty who lived in the beautiful castle topping the green hill that overlooked the village. Princess Kagome with her dozens of beautiful thoroughbred horses, gorgeous one of a kind gowns, endless supply of the most precious jewels, and suitor after suitor knocking at her gates.

Kagome laughed scornfully, and flopped back onto her bed. More like Princess Kagome who lived in the Kingdom at which the waves of poverty slowly lapped, sapping her family of it's money. Princess Kagome who was being forced to marry into the nearby kingdom. To marry King Kouga, the noble!

_More like 'the outrageously vain' _

It was only recently that the rumors had begun. A book began circulating through the villages belonging to their kingdom. The book foretold of astronomical occurrences caused by angry spirits. The heavens were aparently angry at her people for their over-consumption and greed. The book mentioned the growing and consumption of Camellia sinensis to be a main component in the great spirits anger. Citing the main export of the kingdom as unholy and full of witchcraft, especially the use of it in ceremony or tea-leaf readings. The people had scoffed at the book, but there was a restlessness that ran through the village when on the night mentioned in the book as a night of forewarning, the moon became obscured by a large object, and created a large outline circle of light in the sky, shrouding the world in darkness. It only took this one correct assessment for the people to go into a panic. Emptying their pantries of tea and ripping apart their plantations. Angry mobs burned the larger plantations of non-believers. In the weeks that the villagers did this, they kept looking to the sky for more signs outlined in the books pages. Comets, New moons, red stars, and odd star clusters dictated the emotions of the 'angry Gods'.

The queen looked to her trusted advisor, Naraku, for guidance. He simply instructed her to burn her own plantations, to save face, for if this book did prove to be correct. A true oracle of the Gods, the kingdom would not be caught unyielding. The queen had of course listened, ridding her kingdom of its main export, and watched in horror as her villagers happily invited the pains of poverty into their houses. This all happened within months, and soon the Castle even noticed the downfall of the economy. The staff began slowly disappearing, fleeing the lowered wages for better work elsewhere, or simply laid off due to insufficient funds to keep so many on staff.

It was a silver lining when King Kouga showed interest in the queens daughter, his kingdom was doing fantastically, having not been affected by the tea leaf disaster. Their kingdom was built around the mines, and therefore always had a fresh source of gold, silver, and other extremely valuable rocks and minerals. Kagome's mother had welcomed the idea hastily, and arranged for the wedding to occur in only a few weeks. King Kouga, who had no need for a large monetary addition to his already engorged savings, was looking to marry for beauty instead. He hoped Kagome would provide a wonderful image of his family, and also provide him with attractive offspring as future royal leaders. 'Someone who comes close to matching me in aesthetics' he'd put it, meaning it as a compliment of course.

Kagome turned over and muffled her head into her pillow, grumbling in a very un-princess like manner. She was torn between her responsibility and her heart. Her thoughts strayed to her souls other half, her stable hand. Inuyasha loved her for who she was. Not for the crown she would some day inherit. He made her laugh, he made her do things she never thought possible. Her mind wandered back a week, when he'd taken her to a small pond.

Traveling on horseback, Kagome sat sidesaddle in front of Inuyasha. The forest smelled of earth and all that could be heard in the trees was the sound of nightingales. Kagome leaned back against Inuyasha, enjoying the thud of his heart in sync with the horses hooves. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes. Inuyasha buried his smirk in her hair and breathed in deeply the scent of orange blossoms. Eventually, Inuyasha stopped the horse a few feet from a small glistening pond surrounded by miniature rocks. Looking down he noticed the princess had fallen asleep on him. Chuckling, he maneuvered her around until her face was towards him, and leaned down. His own mouth inches form hers,

"I do believe we have the story of sleeping beauty a bit backwards here Love, isn't it the royalty who bestows the kiss unto the peon?" Inuyasha brought his lips to hers and nibbled down on her bottom lip. Her eyelids fluttered open as he ended the chaste kiss, whining slightly and moving towards his face. "Ah well, we never have been the most conventional of people anyway..." Inuyasha mused, smiling at his still sleepy bundle.

They'd curled up together on a rock near the pond, and talked until nearly sunrise. Splashing with their feet and laughing as the early hours came upon them and the insanity that comes with exhaustion set it. Eventually Kagome had given Inuyasha a quick kiss before climbing the terrace into her bedroom, another dress muddied and torn. Inuyasha of course knew of the impending wedding, and had at first been enraged, then pleading, and then worst of all compliant. The last weeks were spent as though Kagome were infected with a terminal disease, and instead of speaking out-loud about it, they went on as normal. As though spending the last days of her life in bliss was better than fretting about an unchangeable outcome. It angered Kagome to no end.

"Girl who has everything...hah..that's a laugh...girl who has everything she doesn't want..." Kagome mumbled, as sleep overtook her. Allowing dreams of the ball the next day, where she would have to kiss up to many royals she'd never met before. All simply training for the large banquette at which she would meet her husband-to-be.

0P0

Sango sat at her workstation, finishing the last of the stitching on a new pair of silk gloves for a nearby Dutchess. Aparently there was some sort of ball occuring at the Kingdom within the next few days and demands were high for new gowns and accessories. Aparently the kingdom had been holding many banquettes and balls in the past week. Sighing, she looked over to her companion, Ayumi. A slight girl with hair cropped up to her ears. Her fingers were calloused and red from the intricate gown she'd been assigned. Sango winced in sympathy when the needle slipped and poked her finger. Ayumi was not indebted to Madam Chapeau and therefore could leave if she wanted to. However, as she'd explained to Sango before in her whisper of a voice, she loved what she did, and this was the only shop for miles. She dreamed of opening her own dress shop, and hoped to save enough money and skill to do so in the future. However with the current recession, things werent looking so good. Sango could understand the girls dreams, she herself had a few. In the silent hours of the night, Sango would allow herself to imagine what her life would be like if it belonged to her. She would open a small book store and fill it with colorful childrens books. She loved to tell stories and dreamed of one day being able to make a living off of her passion. Under her bed she had a small box filled with scraps and packets. Stories and illustrations she jotted down once in a while. She also had another secret.

Looking up she announced, "Ok Ayumi, I'm taking my break. I'll be back in a half hour to relieve you okay?" Ayumi nodded and smiled, as Sango reached for her brown hooded cloak. WIth one last smile to Ayumi, she opened the door and exited.

Once outside she took a deep breath of the fresh spring air. It was a relief to her lungs to be away from the dust and debris inside the dimly lit shop. Setting a brisk pace she made her way to the small market and picked herself up an wedge of cheese and some bread. Setting herself down onto the steps of a shop, she took out a few scraps from her cloak, and began furiously writing between bites of bread. Eventually a small circle of children made their way around her feet looking up expectantly.

"Alright, alright!" She giggled at the cherubs, "i have a new one for you guys today! It's barely finished, but I doubt we'll get through it all this time anyway" She explained, leaning into the small circle, as the children did the same.

"It's called 'The butterfly and the moth'. There once was a beautiful butterfly...and a less than impressive brown moth..." Sango began her story, using her hands to express her points as the kids looked on enraptured. She did this at least once a week, enthralling the children and sometimes even their parents with original stories. Sometimes they would even give her coins, however this act came to halt as money became scarce. All around her shops were closing and people were being put out of house and home. It truly saddened her, and so she hoped her stories brought a bit of light to such a dark time.

P

Not very far away, a carriage was making its way down the streets of the town.

"Thank you so much Myoga you have no idea how much I needed to get out of that castle..." Kagome looked over to the old man sitting in front of her, driving the carriage. He'd been with the family for years, and Kagome regarded him as a sort of grandfather figure. Today he'd offered to take her into town, sensing that she needed a break from her mother and the impending wedding plans. Eventually the carriage came to a full stop and Myoga came around to help the princess out of her seat. She wore a nondescript yellow dress under a brown hooded robe and small white flats. In her opinion, she blended perfectly.

"You have an hour my dear, if you're not back in one hour I'll send a search party." Myoga gruffly ordered. Kagome agreed to the terms and left Myoga with the carriage. Wandering around the town streets gave her time to think about the wedding and about the horrible morning she'd had:

Her mother had bustled into her room carrying a box and going on about something or other. Kagome had groggily sat up just in time to be hoisted out of bed by a very burly Maid and propped unceremoniously on the stage in front of her mirror.

"Mother Wha.." She asked, rubbing her eyes as the maid undid the braid in her hair, letting her curls bounce around freely. When the maid moved to unbutton her pajamas she turned around, 'Mother! What are you doing! It's so early!"

Her mother just tutted and waved the Maid to continue.

"Kagome you have had this dress in this box for days! You've had countless opportunities to try it on when you've been all made-up for one of the balls or banquettes!" Her mother raved. Kagome just pouted, she'd hoped the dress could stay in the box forever. But as the main banquette drew closer and closer, she realized it was inescapable. So she allowed them to dress her, the silk gown sliding easily over her curves, the skirt puffing out with layers of tule. Her mother secured the pink ribbon while the Maid applied makeup and did her hair up in a bun. The results were breathtaking, she had to admit, and yet she itched to get out of the dress. As she looked on at her reflection in the mirror, her mothers face appeared next to hers, eyes full of tears.

"You look so lovely, my dearest" Her mother sniffled.

Kagomes heart slowly began to break as all hope drained from her. This was really happening, the very castle that protected her from the outside world had become a jail. Her eyes also began to fill with tears and she and her mother stared into the mirror, droplets shimmering on their lashes. Liquid pride, and liquid despair.

Kagome felt a lump form in her throat at the memory, but quickly shook it off. Wandering further into the crowds, she noticed many beggers collecting on the stoops of houses, and a lot more boarded up windows than she'd seen in the last month she'd visited. The weight of her selfishness overwhelmed her. These people, her people, they needed this union of marriage. Children would starve if it wasn't for this chance at combining kingdoms. She had to do it, it was the ethical choice. But why did it leave her heart feeling so empty.

"The butterfly would have traded it's colors for the ability to fly unnoticed as the moth did, and the moth would have traded its dusty brown for the colors of the butterfly any day..." Kagome followed the voice and the giggles of small children toward the town square, drawn by the sound of happiness like a moth to a flame.

TBC

I'm sorry i havnt updated in a while, but i have the next chapter under way!

reviews please!

(and sorry for the kinda sorta cliffie, but my hands are about to fall off!!)


End file.
